


Countless Stolen Treasures

by DetectiveRoboRyan



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Dorky Knights and their Nerd Queen, Drabble, Fluff, Fluffy Angst, Gen, I just want these 3 to be cool awesome friends, There's kind of Emm/Frederick and Frederick/Phila but its platonic, angsty fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 03:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4731815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectiveRoboRyan/pseuds/DetectiveRoboRyan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A good friendship is the best treasure there is-- also known as Emotional Torment of Frederick: the fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Countless Stolen Treasures

The night was quiet, buzzing of crickets and rustling of leaves casting a lull over the castle in Ylisstol, but candlelight flickered into every dark corner and no one seemed to be willing to extinguish the flames.  
  
It had, in a word, been a rather exhausting night.  
  
An assassin slain in the garden, brigands fled into darkness, a mysterious ally melted into the night without goodbyes. The Shepherds went to bed one at a time, with weary footfalls and dark eyes that did not promise a peaceful sleep, and silent bows to their seemingly-unshaken Exalt.  
  
After Chrom finally carried Lissa out of the great hall on his back and there were only three left in the room, Frederick turned to the other two and spoke for the first time since the battle.  
  
“Your Grace,” he began. “It’s late. You must be tired, after all of that.”  
  
Exalt Emmeryn, who had mastered the art of perfect composure long before this moment and was not nearly at ease as she seemed, let out a soft breath. “To the contrary, I think I’m more awake than I was before.”  
  
“It’s my fault they got in in the first place,” the stocky knight by Emmeryn’s side spoke up, hands tucked at rest behind her back and her gaze towards the groumd. Silence came over the three like a curtain, and Frederick didn’t want to admit Phila had been a bit at fault there. As the leader of the Pegasus Knights and Emmeryn’s personal bodyguard, it was her responsibilty to keep the castle secure— but Frederick didn’t have the heart to truly blame her for it.  
  
“Your duty was by Her Grace’s side, Lady Phila,” he said instead. “The last line of defense. And I pity whatever fool may come across it.” He cracked a smile at that, glancing at her through thick bangs that had grown too long and brushed the edges of his vision.  
  
“I recognize you are trying to make me feel better, Sir Frederick,” Phila replied in the same tone. “But I do take responsibility for what happened tonight. I had thought the castle well-guarded, but it seems I was incorrect in this.”  
  
“Oh, both of you, stop,” Emmeryn cut in as soon as Frederick was about to open his mouth, her tone suddenly much less formal. “You’d think Chrom and his friends hadn’t succeeded in driving off the assassins, from the way you’re negotiating blame!”  
  
“But he could’ve killed you!” Phila blurted, shifting registers as easily as opening a door. “And what would happen then?”  
  
“A country thrown into chaos, countless stolen treasures,” Frederick mumbled, but Phila continued with what he’d been about to say as if he’d said it aloud.  
  
“And you gone,” she said, her tone going somber as she clasped Emmeryn’s hands in her own. “The Fire Emblem being stolen can never compare to the loss of you, Emm.”  
  
Emmeryn’s serene mask cracked, but she smiled in a way that made her cheeks squish upwards girlishly, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she gently leaned down to touch her forehead to Phila’s. “Don’t worry, Phila. Nothing like that will ever happen, because Chrom and his friends won’t let it happen. Right, Frederick?”  
  
“The Shepherds will do everything we can to prevent such a catastrophe,” Frederick agreed, but Phila rolled her eyes and whapped him in the stomach.  
  
“It’s just us now, Freddy-bear,” she said, looking up at him. “You don’t have to sound so professional.”  
  
“Well I would _think_ a touch of decorum is nice, even among friends,” Frederick retorted hotly, letting out a most un-knightly snort. But Phila was right— there was no one to set an example for, no one to impress, no standard to live up to. It was a rare moment Frederick could pretend he was simply Emmeryn’s friend, the way they’d been when they were much younger, when no one would look at him curiously when he scooped the both of his best friends up into a tight embrace, because no one was there but them.  
  
When he did, Emmeryn let out a short shriek of surprise and laughter, her crown going cock-eyed as she was lifted off the ground. It was a hug full of scuffed armor and post-battle hair and awkwardly being squashed up next to Phila, but she didn’t care.  
  
“This is always more fun for you than it is for us, isn’t it,” Phila wheezed from her place squashed against Frederick’s breastplate. Poor Phila, shorter than Emmeryn by two inches and shorter than Frederick by nearly a foot, usually got the short end of the stick in such matters— no pun intended.  
  
“Oh, hush,” Frederick mumbled. “Am I not allowed to be glad you’re both alive?”  
  
“I won’t be that way for long if you keep squashing,” Phila mumbled, but Emmeryn nudged her chidingly.  
  
“I have to admit, I’m glad you’re safe, too,” Emmeryn decided, leaning up and pecking Frederick’s cheek in a chaste kiss that would never hint to anything more between them, and never did much, either. He looked after her younger siblings, and since they were so close in age and Emmeryn hadn’t had any other friends besides Phila, a friendship had sprung up quickly. Phila, who rarely ever left Emmeryn’s side, had been a natural inclusion, and that had been that.  
  
Phila was grateful when Frederick finally eased his embrace, and straightened her armor definitively. “You should consider yourself a lucky man for that, Frederick,” she said matter-of-factly. “A kiss from the Exalt! Anyone lesser would’ve melted.”  
  
Frederick sent her a wry grin. “I’m not the one who stays by her side every waking minute. You should consider yourself lucky for that. Though isn’t it a saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder?”  
 “Oh, hush,” Phila elbowed him, her face scrunching up childishly. In response, Frederick bent down and scooped Phila up over his shoulder like a sack of flour, to her protests. While Phila whined about fighting dirty and tried to wiggle away, Frederick allowed a grin to slip across his face, a satisfied chuckle escaping his lips. He’d missed this, he realized, watching Emmeryn set her queenly mask aside and laugh honestly at her two best friends teasing each other, watching Phila look at her like she was the moon and sun and all of the stars and wondering why they even bothered to keep it a secret. Even watching Emmeryn kiss Phila’s cheeks and lips with a gentle passion Emmeryn was so good at conveying (because no matter how much she hid it, she had been afraid she’d never be able to kiss Phila so again) made Frederick’s spirits lighter— and after all that had happened, they needed it.  
  
With Phila’s feet on the ground once more, Frederick noticed as she slipped her hand into Emmeryn’s. He couldn’t remember when they _hadn’t_ been close, close as lovers and then some. Love radiated through the air when they looked at each other, and even in public, it wasn’t very subtle. Even Chrom would’ve been able to notice it.  
  
Phila let out a little chuckle, a bright grin still on her face. “It’s late,” she finally said. “I think we should get Her Grace to bed, shouldn’t we?”  
  
“And are you two going to compete for the honor again tonight?” Emmeryn teased. “I don’t intend to choose easily. I think a duel would be the best solution.”  
  
“Oh, Emm, that isn’t fair,” Phila protested, though she knew Emmeryn was joking. “I’d be unhorsed. Twice!”  
  
“How is that possible?” Frederick wondered. “Moreso, how is it possible no one has noticed your relationship? It isn’t subtle. Either I am more astute than I thought or the entire country is under a spell of remarkable ignorance.”  
  
Phila blushed a shade of crimson that matched her eyes. “Well— we— Emm?”  
  
“It’s not the right time,” Emmeryn said, pursing her lips, though Frederick could tell she’d just made that up on the spot.  
  
“I think… I think eventually, though,” Phila decided. “Someday soon. Right, Emm?”  
  
Emmeryn nodded, smiling happily. “As for now, I’m content with what we have now. I missed you both.”  
  
“As did I, your Grace,” Frederick said with a somewhat-lopsided grin. “As did I.”  
  
  
  
Oh, fate was cruel to its people sometimes. Frederick felt like the world should be cold and empty, now that the Shepherds of Ylisse had just come face to face with their first true failiure.  
  
Phila and Emmeryn would never make their relationship known; no one would ever see a trace of it again. Now there were simply broken arrows twisted through armor, and shifting desert sands that could break a fall no better than stone.  
  
That day would be the day Frederick had lost two of his best and oldest friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all I don't think you understand how much I love these GIANT NERDS
> 
> If you're familiar with my other canonverse Emm/Phila fics ('Her Courage' and 'If I Fall, You'd Catch Me' particularly) then this will make a little more sense, headcanon-wise. Honestly I just want them to be friends? Like yo, why only have one worrywart nerd protecting you when you can have TWO AMIRITE
> 
> It is 3am I shouldn't be up but here I am. And I'm torturing Frederick, because I thought it'd be a good fic idea.
> 
> Sorry, Frederick.
> 
> Edit: Heights are Phila at 5'5, Emmeryn at 5'7, and Frederick at 6'4, which may seem a -little- exaggerated but it's my fic shhh


End file.
